Book Review: Shattered by #Author Allison Brennan

Shattered by Allison Brennan combines her two series together in a powerful read. Although billed as a Max Revere book, Lucy Kincaid takes over the crime scenes. As Max, an investigative journalist, utters a number of times in the book, FBI Agent Lucy has taken control.

Brennan does consider it a Max book. “I started and ended with her. Lucy took it over when the case was center stage. But remember Max ends up solving the original case. Since they each have their own world I will only bring them back together if it fits into the story. I enjoy writing a Lucy and Max book every year so I do not get bored. I am not going to go out of my way to put them together unless it flows within the story. The next Max book uses the clues from this book given to her by Sean, Lucy’s husband. If Lucy and Sean do appear in it, they will be off page.”

These two alpha women attempt to work together to solve the case of a serial killer. When first brought together Max was very hesitant and not very happy to have to work directly with a partner since she is used to calling the shots on her own. Now, at times, she must follow Lucy’s direction, lead, and suggestions. The FBI Agent has agreed to work the case after Max shows her the pile of evidence connecting Lucy’s nephew’s killing, which happened twenty years ago, to other cases. Her research along with Lucy’s connections, training, and experience, allow the investigation to move forward at a rapid pace.

The other sub-plot is directly connected to the investigation. Max first heard about all these cases from her one-time college lover, John Caldwell. The police suspect that John’s wife, Blair, murdered the couple’s eight-year-old son, but John believes that a serial killer is to blame and wants Max to solve a trio of similar cold cases in the hope that it will exonerate Blair. Because this is what Max does for a living she agrees to reach out to the family of the possible first victim, Justin Stanton. Andrew, Justin’s father, agrees to cooperate with Max’s investigation, but only if Max partners with his sister-in-law, FBI agent Lucy Kincaid.

As the two featured characters are paired together readers cannot help but compare the two personalities. Max is a loner, a ‘know it all,’ straightforward, and a control freak. Lucy is polite, quieter, a thinker, and is used to working within a team. But the one thing they both have in common is the drive to seek justice for the victims and their families. But over the course of the book Lucy seems to influence Max. Suppressing her desires, Max decides to respect her wishes and resists her natural temptation to dig into Lucy’s past.

An indirect influence is how Lucy and her husband, Sean, treat each other with an intimate understanding between them. Max sees their unconditional love and knows that she wants a similar relationship. Brought into the case for his expert opinion as a forensic psychologist, Lucy’s brother Dillon hit it off perfectly with Max. Too bad he is hitched because he seems like someone Max could have fallen head over heels with.

Brennan feels, “Nick blew it and I was not happy with him after the previous Max book. She did not want to break up with him, but refuses to be treated as a doormat. She will never compromise to have her ‘happily ever after.’ I know a lot of readers liked the chemistry between Max and Lucy’s brother, Dillon. But he is married so this will not happen. If he were single he and Max would be great together.”

Brennan does a wonderful job of creating an intricate dynamic between her two main characters, Max and Lucy. This engrossing story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

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Published by elisecooper516

Elise works with authors to help them get coverage.
She has interviewed a number of bestselling authors from many different genres including Mystery/Thrillers/Romance/Suspense/Women's Fiction
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